John Case is a resident of Wilmington.
As an individual with 35 years’ service in the U.S. Army, I am appalled at the Trump administration’s treatment of veterans. The proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs will deeply hurt former military members. An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press spelled out the department’s plan to slash 83,000 jobs. Under the 1944 Veterans’ Preference Act, veterans receive preference in government hiring and retention in times of layoffs. They comprise a quarter of the 482,000 VA employees. Many will lose their jobs under the Trump cuts.
With 90% of Veterans Affairs employees working in the Veterans Health Administration, cuts to the workforce will mean cuts to health care. Over the last fiscal year, the VA enrolled 400,000 new veterans into the system — a 30% increase over the previous year. This is clearly the wrong time to institute cuts.
A 2024 Office of Inspector General report stated that 137 of the 139 VA facilities reported severe staffing shortages. Donald Trump’s cuts will exacerbate these shortages and further increase health care wait times. The Biden administration invested in the Department of Veterans Affairs to help with these deficiencies; the Trump cuts will roll these investments back.
VA findings claim that 17.6 veterans commit suicide every day. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for former military members under 45. The Veterans Crisis Line is losing employees to layoffs and the cessation of remote working. This means that most of the 1,130 crisis line workers will be terminated. This critical resource fielded 3 million calls between 2009-17, with 82,000 emergency interventions. Veteran suicide was a first-term priority for Trump. It clearly is not now.
Finally, Veterans Affairs invests about $916 million a year into medical research, which has given it a comprehensive understanding of veterans’ well-being. Early VA research connected the dots between smoking and cancer, and led to warning labels on cigarette packages. Trump’s cuts will cause 350 researchers to lose their jobs.
Veterans will be further penalized with the proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Approximately 400,000 veterans have no health insurance, and 1.2 million of them receive assistance under SNAP. It is estimated that 40% of veterans rely solely on Medicaid for their health needs. Trump’s cuts would devastate these individuals.
These cuts are not for government efficiency. Veterans are not a priority under Project 2025. Let your representatives know that you support the veterans who fought for this country.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
